Ashcroft sets date for presidential announcement

By John King/CNN

WASHINGTON (December 4) -- Republican Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri has set January 5 as the announcement date for his 2000 presidential bid, several close advisers told CNN Friday.

Sen. John Ashcroft

Ashcroft has asked political advisers to do the preliminary work required
to establish a presidential fund-raising committee.

The senator has set a January 5 announcement in Springfield,
Missouri, to disclose his final plans. While the senator reserves the right to
change his mind, he told top advisers this week that he planned to enter the
presidential race.

These sources said Ashcroft also plans to take advantage of Missouri's new so-called "LBJ" law and run for re-election to his Senate seat as well. The Senate seat
is up in 2000, and filing for re-election would give Ashcroft a fallback if he fared poorly in the early primaries.

Another Missouri politician also exploring presidential politics,
House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, was in Hollywood Friday for a dinner with roughly two dozen major Democratic fund-raisers to discuss his presidential prospects. Veteran Democratic fund-raiser Marvin Davis was the host of the Gephardt dinner.